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Helping your child build confidence

Helping your child build confidence

Wouldn’t we all like our children to grow up feeling successful? Expressing themselves without worrying about correctness or giving offence, speaking easily to strangers, able to put others at ease, comfortable addressing a wide range of different people and audiences, enjoying successful relationships? Confidence is the priceless asset that will inspire this success, helping them live their lives to the full. …»

Choosing and using books with children

When my son and daughter were little, we had a bed-time routine of one story a night. I didn’t have any difficulty getting them to go to bed! The problem was that they had their own ideas of what books they wanted me to read. My carefully selected choices were rejected when they wanted the same old favourite over and over again. My children taught me that they had their own needs and their own ideas about what was appropriate. …».

Communication in the family

Research shows that babies come ready to learn, at birth. As a parent, you are our child’s first and most important teacher! You are the one your baby counts on to be his guide, support, comforter and special talking partner. He will learn his values, outlook and essential skills for communicating with the world, at home, within the family. …».

Helping our children build communication skills

Helping our children build communication skills for the 21st century

The communication process is complex. Communication is at the heart of how we relate to one another. We communicate to fulfill social obligations (Hi! How are you? I’m fine thank you) and to develop relationships. For children to become competent communicators they need three key ingredients: Motivation, knowledge and skills. …».

It takes two to talk

Sometimes in our anxiety to help our children develop good communication skills we put them under extra pressure and talking becomes a ‘chore’ rather than an enjoyable, useful experience. When we are trying to help our children, we teach them as though they are giving a presentation. Consider our own communication, express our best selves, and remember it takes two to talk. …».

Learning in infancy

During the first two to three years of life, a young child achieves greater milestones than at any other time. This is the time he’ll learn to walk, talk, form attachments and ensure that his needs are met. More importantly, he’ll develop his attitude, or approach, to life. He’ll learn to meet new, or difficult, situations with confidence or fear, an approach that will affect the rest of his life. …».

Learning for life – the five C’s

Learning to be … creative, curious, clever, calm, centered
What must children learn in order to be successful in school? …».

There is no such thing as a naughty child

Yes, it may seem that way; a mischievous child who doesn’t want to learn or work. My response to statements like these is always, why is he like this? Why does he appear to be naughty? Why does he need to misbehave? …».

Conditions for nurturing reading

Conditions for nurturing reading

Entering the world of reading and books can be a wonderful experience for a child. How exciting to discover that inside the covers of books lie myriad worlds just waiting for you to enter and enjoy. What a wonderful feeling it is to let your imagination soar on the power of words! …».

Conditions for nurturing writing

Entering the world of writing should be exciting and fulfilling. To wield the power of words, making imagination and thoughts concrete is an empowering experience. And how satisfying to know that once a story is written, the words on the page are there to be revisited and enjoyed as many times as you want. …».

Raising a bilingual child

Learning a second, or third, language was considered a thing for grown-ups to do. Global communication now requires us to be educated in more than one language and linguistic studies show that the ideal time to learn a language is as early as possible, from birth. …».

Why children need to play

How do children learn? How do they grasp entire language systems, codes of communication, symbolic thinking, and mastery of the skills they need to read and write? The answer is so simple that it’s sometimes too difficult to grasp. They learn through play. …».

How drama helps your child develop a sense of self

What is a sense of self? Is it something we are born with or something we acquire as we grow up? Why is embodying a healthy sense of self important? And how can we help our children develop positively such a non-tangible quality? …».